Rays
Okay, Lou, it's all up to you
The Rays and Mariners strike a deal that allows the pursuit of Piniella to begin in earnest. All the manager has to do is forget the Mets and come back home.

Rays meet with A's Ken Macha
ST. PETERSBURG -- Ken Macha's name is on the lips of a lot of people.

Lightning

Lightning lights the lamp a lot [Times photo: Dirk Shadd] LIGHTNING 8, THRASHERS 5: Tampa Bay erases a two-goal deficit and then some, tying a team mark for goals in a game.

Modin on line that suits him
TAMPA -- Coach John Tortorella was blunt when asked what he expects from left wing Fredrik Modin.

John Romano
It's prime time for Bonds
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- There have been days of glory and seasons of achievement. He has led the league in batting and led the league in home runs.

College football
To shut down AU, shut door on Cadillac
The Tigers' RB leads the SEC in rushing yards at 123 per game.

What's wrong with UF?
Florida has lost its past two SEC games under coach Ron Zook to fall to 4-3 for the season and out of the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 1990, Steve Spurrier's first year as Gators coach. Here's what former players and other alumni are saying:

Bulldogs tailback tied to counterfeit investigation
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State freshman tailback Nick Turner reportedly is part of an investigation into the passing of counterfeit $100 bills at a Starkville nightclub.

Bulls look to improve woeful road mark at ECU
At 7-17 away from Raymond James, USF expects a challenge from its future C-USA foe.

BCS buzz precedes first poll
The season's first Bowl Championship Series poll is scheduled to be released Monday, but naysayers have not waited to see the standings.

NHL
Streaker elicits laughs and some concerns
CALGARY -- A man who climbed onto the ice wearing only red socks drew mostly laughter and pity when he fell on his back during Thursday's Flames game against the Bruins. But others weren't amused and raised questions about security at arenas.

Golf
Mascot madness doesn't deter DiMarco from lead
The ex-Gator may have UM-covered clubs after losing a wager, but he leads by two in his hometown Disney Classic.

Campbell beats Faldo at 7th sudden-death hole
VIRGINIA WATER, England -- New Zealand's Michael Campbell is making his World Match Play debut memorable.

Hoch shows his Ryder Cup boss some good form
LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Several weeks ago, Scott Hoch told Curtis Strange, captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, that he was going to play well for him at the matches.

Baseball
Puckett charged in case involving sexual misconduct
MINNEAPOLIS -- Hall of Fame player Kirby Puckett was charged Friday with dragging a woman into a restaurant bathroom and grabbing her breast in September.

Tell us again, what team are you with?
Not counting Barry Bonds, nobody seems to know any of these guys, but one big play could change that.

Motorsports
Leadership teams' chief worry
Tenure of crew chiefs growing shorter because of pressure to succeed.

Newman knocks Gordon off Martinsville 500 pole
MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Rookie Ryan Newman succeeded where 34 drivers before him failed, posting a lap of 92.837 mph to knock Jeff Gordon off the pole for the Martinsville 500.

Et cetera
Groups want stadium flyovers banned
WASHINGTON -- College and professional sports organizations have asked Congress to prohibit banner-toting planes from flying over their stadiums, citing fears of terrorist attacks.

Endurance events fill the weekend
For multisport endurance athletes, this weekend is a highlight on the calendar.

In brief
Mavericks fined, coaches suspended

Preps
Timing system, lights turn course into testing ground
TAMPA -- The key word at tonight's Pre-State Cross-country meet is practice.

Pinellas football notebook
St. Petersburg 17, Boca Ciega 10

Pack uses injured QB for OT win
LARGO 9, TARPON 6 (OT): Fred Marshall fights Spongers tackler, bad ankle for touchdown.

Sharks D stifles Hornets
RIVERVIEW 12, HAINES CITY 7: Sharks limit Hornets to 167 total yards and hold off late rally with a fourth-down stop.

Pirates offense explodes
CRYSTAL RIVER 64, WESTPORT 32: The Pirates rush for 478 yards and cruise.

Blue Jackets thunder past Chargers
ADMIRAL FARRAGUT 42, SHORECREST 7: Better opponent, same result as Vince Patterson rushed for 205 yards.

Middleton rolls past Berkeley
MIDDLETON 38, BERKELEY 19: The Tigers score twice late in the first half to pull away.

Woods out, but Dragons win big
JEFFERSON 56, ED WHITE 40: The star lineman is done for the season with a knee injury.

Tornadoes keep it exciting
CLEARWATER 28, EAST LAKE 21: The Tornadoes have to go to the wire again before securing a postseason berth.

Forget the record, this win counts for playoffs
CCC 21, SPC 7: The Marauders run ahead early and are ensured of being at least district runners-up.

Mustangs use breaks
MITCHELL 27, SPRINGSTEAD 21 (2 OT): Big plays and some help keep the home team in the playoff hunt.

Colts burst from gate after half
NORTH MARION 42, CITRUS 20: The Hurricanes stay close until the third quarter does them in.

Tiger talent leaves Panthers flattened
DUNNELLON 41, LECANTO 6: The visitors spread the ball around and roll up 539 yards of offense.

'Different' Blake routed
SARASOTA BOOKER 47, BLAKE 19: The Yellow Jackets rally before special teams mistakes cost them.

Outdoors
Daily fishing report
Kingfish have arrived in good numbers and are sky-rocketing live bait from Tarpon Springs to the Egmont Shipping Channel.